


Cherry picked

by Milkhui



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Eventual Smut, Fae & Fairies, Fairy Tale Elements, Fluff, Ima throw whatever ships I feel like in here bc you cant whoop me, M/M, Mild Smut, Smut, Spicy, fairy!hyojong, fairy!kino, fairy!shinwon, fairyqueen!hyuna, hui is the only human basically, huidawn, huidawn is the main ship but kiwon are the main side ship, human!hui, hyuna is a fairy queen, i gotta add angst okay, i might add more accurate tags later on, idle is gonna be mentioned, its kinda soulmates, kiwon, lol loser
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-15 08:50:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15409374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milkhui/pseuds/Milkhui
Summary: Hui grew up with a cherry blossom tree in his backyard. Hyojong is one of the many fairies who live in the cherry blossom tree. Hui finds himself teleported into the fairy world with one simple bite of a cherry from a tree who doesn't produce fruit.





	1. What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first officially published fic, please bare with me !

Ever since Hui was around seven years old, he would wake up to a cherry on his pillow. Hui would always put them in a small chest, which was originally meant for jewelry. No matter how many he saved in his little chest, there would never be more than three in there at one time when he woke up the following morning, and they never went bad. He didn’t know why the fruit always appeared, and he stopped mentioning it to his parents when they scolded him, claiming that it was due to him leaving his window open at night.

 

It was fair to believe that was the reason, as there was a cherry blossom tree outside of his window, standing tall in their humble backyard. However, their cherry blossom tree never bore fruit. 

 

Hui’s grandmother had given a cherry blossom seedling to his parents a few months after his birth. To her, cherry blossoms were a sign of renewal, rebirth, and purity. Naturally, her new grandchild seemed like the human embodiment of purity when she first held him in her arms.

 

Hui remembered spending countless hours reading under the tree as a child. The warm taupe roots were evenly spread to bury into the ground, except one spot, where they formed a perfect seat for the then tiny Hui to sit in the center snugly, while resting his back against the tree. It was almost like a hug.

 

To Hui, the tree seemed magical. It never grew any cherries for him to eat, but its flowers never died. When all the other trees in the area began to lose the pastel pink petals, his tree maintained them year round. Hui’s parents deny this, but during the winter, he swears the flowers nearly sparkle and shine. They brushed it off as morning dew, but during the night, his room sometimes is filled with a sheen of pale pink light.

 

When the petals do fall from the tree, whether from the wind, an animal, or maybe Hui climbing it, the flowers remain on the ground, without decaying. When his parents fail to keep up with the backyard, the grass in the backyard morph into a floor of pink, and every step you take is cushioned by the fallen blossoms. When times like those occured, Hui liked to lay in them, and make his own version of a snow angel.

 

When Hui went away to college, he didn’t have anymore cherries that were placed with care on his pillow, and for those four years, he felt lonely.

 

He has happy to return home after graduating, planning to work near his house so he could go back to living with his parents to save more money. That was, until they told him they wanted to sell the house.

 

“Hui, you need to calm down already, and stop pacing so much, you’re making me nervous!” His mother scolded with her legs crossed on the living room sofa. 

 

“How could you just sell the house,  _ our  _ house! You’ve had it for more than two decades, what made you grow sick of it now?” Hui questioned, his brows furrowed in frustration. 

 

“I got a job offer, this new job will mean we can finally move into a nicer neighborhood, the neighborhood your mother and I always dreamed of raising you in.” Hui’s father entered the room from outside in the backyard, crushing a cigarette on the counter. “Were you seriously smoking out there? I begged you not to smoke near the tree! It could die!” Hui shouted out with a lot more vigour than he knew was in him. “Hui. Even if you are an adult now, you still need to respect your parents! I’m sorry for smoking near the tree, but it’s hard to remember now, as you were off in college for years now. What’s with your obsession towards the tree anyways? Is that the real reason you’re upset?” Hui’s dad moved to sit beside his wife, taking one of her hands into his own. “This move is good for us, we’ve always wanted a bigger house, and now we get to live in a higher end neighborhood with the money I’ll be making, are you not happy for us?”

 

Hui felt knots of guilt, knowing he was being selfish for reacting so strongly. It was true, his parents worked hard to support him during his childhood and college, it wouldn’t be fair of him to make them stay in a smaller home if they could move onto someplace better. Still, the history of his childhood home, and the meaning behind the tree, he simply couldn’t just part with it.

 

“I’ll buy the house.”

 

“Eh?” 

 

“Just let me buy the house, put me on the lease, then you can move without a problem.”

 

Hui’s mother chuckled in disbelief, looking up at her son. “Hui, you don’t have enough money to buy a home, you just graduated college.”

 

“I worked a part-time job, I saved up a little bit, if you just give me time I can-”

 

“Hui.” His father cut him off, “We plan to move in a week or so. We specifically waited to move after you came home, so we can tell you the news directly, but there is no way you can buy this house in just a week. I’m sorry, but you should say goodbye.”

 

Hui knew he had hit a brick wall, there was no point in continuing the conversation, as he knew how stubborn and dismissive his parents could be at times. He knew they cared about him, but he also knew how much they brushed off his concerns.

 

Hui zipped up his knee length winter coat, and left to the backyard. When he was a child, the backyard seemed like an ocean for his young mind to explore, but now, he could see just how small it was compared to backyards at his friend’s houses. Maybe if the cherry tree wasn’t so large, if it’s branches didn’t stretch out freely, or it’s roots didn’t reach so much, it would make the backyard be a bit more spacious. He stepped down the stairs from the small grey patio to the crunchy snow, a small smile playing at his lips as he made a trail of footprints to the tree. “I missed you,” Hui whispered out, seeing the puff of air slip out of his mouth from how cold it was outside. 

 

Hui pulled one of his gloves off, and placed his bare hand on the tree’s trunk. The wind nipped at his nose, and made his cheeks flush, but in that moment, his hand felt warm. “Still no cherries? You lazy tree, what have you been up to while I was gone?” Hui was lost in his own little world, continuing to stand and talk to the tree, as his mom stood in the kitchen, observing him from the window in front of the sink. 

 

“Maybe we should...call mom?” Hui’s dad suggested, watching over his wife. “Your mom? Why?” Hui’s mom asked, turning to face him with a raised eyebrow. “Well, maybe if she moved into the house, Hui could stay. I don’t get why he loves this tree so much, but if he does love it, why separate them? Plus, since my father’s passing, she’s felt so lonely all by herself, and she has plenty of money. So, let’s call her and ask her to move here. Hui can keep her company, and he can also hang out with his tree.”

 

“You always were such a softy, weren’t you my dear,” Hui’s mom cooed, placing a gentle hand to his cheek, “You go ahead and call her, I’ll go take Hui’s luggage up to his room.”

 

Hui was now sitting down in the place that was always his seat. Somehow, maybe the tree had grown even more, because the gap between the roots to make a seat was still a perfect fit for him. Cherry blossom trees only have a lifespan of 16-20 years, yet here it was, twenty-five years later, still standing tall, and possibly growing.

 

Hui sat out there for a good hour, and nearly dozed off to sleep, until his parents were calling him in as to not catch a cold. Hui replied saying he’ll come in in just a few more minutes. He stood up, and dusted the snow off of his legs and behind. Hui circled around to the back of the tree, the part facing away from his house, just looking around at the roots. Hui was going to head back in, when he suddenly saw a cherry at the base of the tree.

 

“Where did this come from?” Hui inquired, picking up the cherry, and rolling it between his fingers, looking closely at it. “You grew a cherry...but why now? Why after twenty-five years?” Hui pondered for a moment. Hui was slowly beginning to get lost in his thoughts again when his mother shouted from the back door, “Hui! I made you some soup, please come in!” 

 

Hui shook his head, tucked the cherry into his pant pocket, then quickly scampered into the house. He didn’t realize how cold he actually was until he could feel his toes again.”Ah seriously Hui, you’re gonna freeze yourself to death one day! Why not be more careful will you!” His mother tisked, quickly removing his snow covered jacket and boots, then wrapped him in a blanket. “Go warm up with some soup, okay? I’ll go hang these up in the until the snow melts from them. And please, make sure you dry your hair completely before going to sleep tonight, your grandmother is visiting tomorrow, and I don’t want you being sick when you see her.”

 

Hui’s eyes lit up at the mention of his grandmother, having not seen her in a good six or so years. “Why is she visiting, she isn’t sick is she?” Hui asked, sitting down at the table and scooping some soup into his bowl. “She’s healthy, don’t you worry. She does however miss you, and has a surprise for you.”

 

Hui nodded, digging into his food. He didn't know how hungry he was, he had forgotten how much he missed home cooked meals from his mom. Hui would cook for himself frequently, but none of his food could ever top his mother’s cooking. Hui began to think about what the surprise could possibly be. Would it be some clothes, money, food, perhaps another plant? He hadn’t a clue, but he was eager to see his grandmother tomorrow, regardless of what she brought for him. 

 

Hui finished his food, then hopped in the shower to warm his body up, and afterwards sat in his room in a fluffy bathrobe, drying his hair with a towel. Hui remembered the cherry, and picked his pants up off the ground, and pulled the cherry out. He debated how sanitary it would be to eat a cherry that was sitting on the ground for who knows how long, but a voice inside his head said, “ _ You’ve been wondering how the fruit of this tree might taste your whole life. What could a single cherry possibly do _ ?” 

 

With that in mind, Hui pulled the stem off the cherry, and popped it into his mouth. He let out a pleased noise when it was tangy yet sweet, just how he imagined as a child. In that moment, he was glad no one was in his room to see a grown man squeal in delight over a cherry. 

 

Hui composed himself, then tucked himself into bed, turning the side lamp off, and shutting his eyes. He was going to fall asleep, until he felt his bed shift, and someone petting his hair. “Mom?” Hui said quizzically, opening his eyes.

 

No, it was not his mom. It was instead a blond haired boy with his knees on either side of his hips. The boy blinked at Hui, his brown eyes sparkling with curiosity.

 

“What the-!” Hui exclaimed, shoving the intruder off of him, making him tumble off the bed altogether. Hui scrambled back until his back was pressed to the headboard. That was when he realized he was not in his room anymore, but instead inside someone else’s room. 

 

“Calm down, calm down, I’m not gonna hurt you or anything,” The boy reassured, walking cautiously back over to the bed. “Stay the fuck back! Did you kidnap me? How did you kidnap me? Where the fuck am I? Who are you!” Hui shouted, scanning the room for a weapon to defend himself.

 

“You appear in  _ my  _ bed and just assume I kidnapped you, humans are so self-centered, geez. I’m Hyojong, and no I did not kidnap you. Just wondering why you decided to fall asleep in my bed, with only a bathrobe on?” Hyojong huffed, sitting on the bed. 

 

Hui looked around the room, trying to process the situation. The walls were a deep brown, and had various built in shelves that were covered in books, candles, and small potted plants. The floor was a light tanned hardwood with a massive pink fluffy area rug that took up most of the floorspace. The bedroom door was wide and arched, and had the side profile of a cat carved into the wood. It felt a lot like a hippy room, not really kidnapper type.

 

“Hello, earth to Hui,” Hyojong said, waving his hand in front of his face. Hui’s brows furrowed, and he snatched Hyojong’s wrist, pulling him close until their faces were a mere inch apart. “How do you know my name?” Hui asked, his eyes beginning to glare as his defensiveness rose again.

 

“If you grab me like this, I might kiss you,” Hyojong whispered, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Hui pushed him away, running his hand through his hair. “Are you my stalker or something? Did you poison that cherry I ate?” Hui groaned in frustration.

 

“You ate a cherry? Like from this tree?” Hyojong asked, his eyes growing wide and his body tensing up. “Yeah? So did you poison me or-”

 

Hyojong jumped up from the bed, and started pacing back and forth, rubbing his chin. “How did he find a cherry from our tree, humans can’t just eat a cherry from our tree like this, how on earth...I need to ask the elders about this. Wait, but can I just ask them this? What if they hurt him? Humans can’t be trusted, that’s why they didn’t want me to leave the tree anyways. To be fair though, I’ve been to this human’s room various times and I was never hurt, so is that really a big issue-”

 

“Hey!” Hui interrupted Hyojong’s train of thought, “First off, your pacing is seriously making me nervous. Secondly, did you just say you’ve been to my room multiple times? Thirdly, why are you calling me a human, are you not also a human? Wait, why are you wearing that?” 

 

After Hui recognized the horror that was repeating something his parents once said to him, Hui then realized that the jittery boy was wearing a long flowy white skirt that went to mid calf, his baby pink shirt was more like an oversized poncho with a hood, but he had tied a red rope around his waist, and under the skirt were beige colored tights. 

 

“Listen up human, I’m honestly as confused as you are. Sure I’ve been sneaking into your room since you were real young, but I didn’t realize that those old cheesy folklore scrolls saying if you feed a cherry to a human they come to our world was a legit thing. I just left a cherry out there for mere curiosity, just a childhood type of dream. I mean, you were talking so sweetly to the tree, if I were to accidentally invite a human to our realm, I’d rather it be a human like you, you know?” Hyojong explained, his words naturally slurring together due to his slow dragged on way of speaking.

 

“Our world...realm...wait. You wouldn’t happen to be the fairies from the books my grandmother used to read to me, would you? The little fairies who slept inside trees?” 

 

“I remember hearing her read that to you, it had a few inaccuracies, maybe it was based on older fairies. But regardless, to put it short, yes I’m a fairy.” Hyojong confirmed, plopping back down onto the bed. “I’m glad you stopped trying to look for a way to hurt me, because you would’ve lost if we had to fight,” Hyojong said cockily, laying down beside Hui. “As if I would lose to some fairy in a skirt,” Hui scoffed, eyeing the boy slowly. “You like what you see or something? Gonna flip up my skirt?” Hyojong teased, smirking when Hui’s face turned bright red. 

 

“Cute. Now, let’s go to sleep, we can explain more of this in the morning, I’m sleepy.”

 

\------

 

Hui really could not process how he got himself into this situation. Currently he had woken up to a  _ very  _ pretty but  _ very _ annoying fairy boy hugging his torso, his face snuggled into his chest, and their legs tangled up together. “Ya...wake up already,” Hui whined, smacking the man’s back in an attempt to wake him up. Hui felt him stir slightly, and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was waking up, until he just cuddled closer.

 

Hui let out a pouty huff. “You weird fairy, get off me!” Hui could not deny how cute Hyojong looked while he rested, his mouth hung open slightly, and there was a permanent blush on Hyojong’s cheeks. Hui shifted a bit, using his free left hand to slowly move the bangs from Hyojong’s eyes, watching him sleep contently. Seeing Hyojong resting up close like this, he couldn’t help but think of just-

 

“You gonna kiss me?” 

 

“What-” 

 

Hyojong’s eyes popped open, and he looked up at Hui with a devious glint in his eyes. “I was trying to be elegant and enticing, I guess it didn’t work. Bummer,” Hyojong sighed, pulling away and sitting up. “God, do you just flirt with anybody to see?” Hui said defensively.

 

Hyojong simply winked. “And if I did? What, are you jealous? Gonna punish me?”

 

Hui groaned, standing up for the first time since he appeared in the bedroom. “Why don’t you just get lost. How old are you anyway, you must be younger than me, why not respect your elders?”

 

Hyojong crawled off the bed, and wrapped his arms around Hui’s waist. “I’m only a year younger than you, and I’m not one to care about respecting elders. If you’re full of it, you’re full of it.”

 

“Why do you keep touching me you creep!” Hui fussed, squirming away from Hyojong’s hold. Hyojong pouted, crossing his arms. “You’re warm, and I like you, that’s why.”

 

“You what?”

 

“I like you.”

 

“What?”

 

Hyojong laughed, walking over to his dresser to pick out a new outfit for the day. “Humans are so interesting, I’m glad I finally get to talk to you after all these years.” That made Hui remember what Hyojong said earlier, about having visited his room multiple times throughout his childhood. “Seriously, can you just answer me a single question? What do you mean after all these years, how long have you known me?”

 

Hyojong glanced towards Hui, then start removing his clothes, letting them fall to the floor. Hui instantly turned away, facing the other side of the room with blushed cheeks. “Well,” Hyojong begins, “I was around six or so when I learned that there was a world past our tree. Out of pure curiosity, I snuck out, of course with a cherry, and flew into the first room that was open. I couldn’t wake you up, so I just set the cherry on your pillow. When I saw you save it rather than eat it, I left it every single day, hoping that maybe you would eat it and visit me. You never did. Then you suddenly left for four years. I didn’t know if you would ever come back. When I saw you walking towards the tree, I left a cherry for you, just to see if you’d eat it now. This time, you did.”

 

Hui turned back around to look at him, glad Hyojong was dressed again, though it looked identical to the previous outfit, just a bit crisper. “Why don’t you guys just grow cherries from the flowers if you wanted company?” Hui questioned, tilting his head. “We don’t want company. Humans are evil. I wasn’t supposed to be sneaking you cherries, but I did anyways since you were around my age, and you loved our tree so much, it made me want to meet you so bad.”

 

“The day that your parents wanted to cut our home down, due to our blossoms covering the grass outside so easily, and you ran outside, tears rushing down your face. You just fell to your knees, begging and pleading with them to let the tree stay...I think that was when I fell in love with you. I think you were only thirteen then.”

 

Hui laughed at the memory fondly, leaning against the wall as he thought of how determined he was to keep the tree alive all these years. It was like a scene out of a movie, Hui’s dad walked out with an axe, absolutely sick of all the blossoms “ruining” the backyard. It took less than a minute for the young teen Hui to sprint outside and stand in front of the tree. He could barely remember what he said, he just knew he was sobbing and at one point fell to his knees and did a full bow, trying to do anything to keep the tree he adores so much. 

 

“Wait.” Hui’s thoughts paused. “Why do you keep saying you like me and stuff.”

 

Hyojong scoffed, walking over to him, and getting close to his face. “I told you, because I do like you, I love you, and I really wish you’d get it through your thick human skull already.”

 

“I think fairies and humans interpret love differently,” Hui brushed off the love confession with a light chuckle. Hyojong couldn’t help the scowl form on his face, and their faces inched closer. “Stop treating me like a joke, human.”

 

“I’m not treating you like a joke, I’m just saying, saying you love someone you only just talked to, isn’t that strange? Maybe fairies share a different culture to us humans, you know?” Hui explained. 

 

Hyojong’s eyes narrowed, and he put his hands on Hui’s shoulders. “All those times you spent sitting under the tree, reading to us, talking to us. I know so much about you I could write an entire novel! But you think I don’t know you? I know everything about you!” Hyojong shouted in annoyance.

 

Hui blinked, unsure of the proper way to respond to that. “I-I see…” Is all Hui managed to reply.

 

Hyojong took a deep breath, grabbed Hui’s face, tilted it, then pressed their lips together. He knew it would seem weird to Hui to suddenly be kissed by someone he just met, but to Hyojong, he knew him for a lifetime, and he’d be damned if he couldn’t kiss him just this once!

 

Hui froze when he felt their lips connect, his eyes going wide in shock and confusion. A typical response would be to force the pushy stranger away, but honestly, everything about Hyojong felt familiar. Kissing him, it felt like this was a kiss he had to wait a lifetime for. Hui’s eyes slowly fluttered shut, and his lips moved slightly against Hyojong’s.

 

The kiss was completely innocent, pure, and refreshing. There wasn’t any tongue or eager hands, just lips gliding in sync, and soft touches pulling them closer to each other. The kiss was just as magical and wonderful as Hyojong thought their first kiss would be, and if it was up to him, they’d stay together like this, in this moment forever. 

 

Hui did ease away from the kiss after a few minutes, their lips a bit swollen from kissing a bit too long. 

 

“Uh…” Hui trailed off, his hand still settled gently on Hyojong’s waist, and their faces still near each other. “I would usually ask...but it’s been twenty-five years for me, and I just couldn’t wait a second more. I’m sorry…” Hyojong whispered, his voice laced with a hint of nervousness and lack of confidence.

 

“It’s okay, I liked it,” Hui grinned, his nose crinkling up with the smile. Hyojong smiled back, his eyes turning into half moons. 

 

Soon enough, they were just in a laughing fit, giggling in each other's arms, and getting lost in the moment shared between them.

 

“Hyojong!” A fairy called out from outside the room, knocking firmly on the door. “Who are you talking to? And the elders want you down for breakfast!” 

 

“Oh god, it’s Kino, sorry, if I don’t go, he’ll seriously burst through my door, and I can’t let the elders find out I’m harboring a human in my room, okay?” Hyojong whispered urgently, “I’ll sneak some food up for you as soon as I can.”

 

“What will happen if they find out you’re hiding me in here?” Hui asked nervously.

 

“Uhm...I’ll probably be imprisoned for a few centuries.”

 

“What?!” 

 

“Now go hide in the closet and don’t come out until you hear me leave the room!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments below, even if they are simple. I accept constructive criticism just as much as compliments! Also consider dropping a kudos if you're looking forward to the next chapter! I plan on working on chapter 2 right after I publish this, it could be up as early as tomorrow!


	2. You're something else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief look at young fairy hyojong

* _ Flashback* _

 

“Hyojong! I can’t believe you aren’t awake already, it’s bird flying practice!” Kino shouted as he stormed into Hyojong’s room, pulling the covers off of him. Hyojong shivered and curled up tighter, then reached out desperately for the blankets, just wanting the warmth back.

 

“Hyojong! Seriously, we have to go, the elders are already starting to grow impatient, this is your third time being late this week, and it’s Wednesday!”

 

Hyojong sighed, reluctantly opening his eyes, looking over at the fussy young fairy. Even though bird flying was fun to him, he just couldn’t stand having to wake up at such an ungodly hour to do it. Will the birds escape if they don’t get to fly til noon? “I don’t get why the elders can’t just schedule practice until it’s not 6am!” 

 

Kino folded his arms over his chest, tapping his foot agitatedly. “Breakfast is at first light, directly after that is bird flying. Bird flying is this early because it’s better to fly the birds before they eat so they aren’t sluggish and we can train them to attack easier. Then we have to do squirrel grazing, first aid, elixir mixing, basic mathematics, folklore conservation, battle training, scroll writing, crafting, navigation-”

 

“Ah Kino enough! I know, I have a billion fairy duties, enough!” Hyojong whined, finally getting out of bed and getting dressed in a plain white outfit that all children wore until their tenth birthday, which he was looking forward to being able to wear colorful garments. “I wish you wouldn’t talk so much you know.”

 

Kino shrugged and gave Hyojong a big grin, then skipped off back to the elders.

 

Hyojong reluctantly left his room after grabbing his bag, closing the door behind himself, then making his way to the bird flying level of the tree. 

 

“It’s nice of you to finally join us, Hyojong,” One of the elders replied, who was currently helping another fairy fix the saddle of his bird. The birds varied in shades, but were all around the same size, which was approximately 18 cm. Fairies who were to become elites like those of the royal guard, had to learn to ride birds of all sizes, even if fairies were just a mere 10 cm. They had to be able to tame any bird in an instant during a time of war. 

 

Hyojong wasn’t alive during the last fairy war, but his parents had told him that that was when thousands of fairies died, including his grandparents. The surviving fairies decided it would be best to not tell the younger generations why the war took place in the first place. Hyojong had heard in a rumor from a classmate that it was something related to some type of evil corrupt fairy, but to Hyojong, it just seemed like the classmate was trying to scare him.

 

All he knows as fact is, due to this war, bird flying is one of the first things a fairy must learn, in the event that they have to flee. Yet, Hyojong could only think to himself  _ but why must this be so early in the morning! _

 

Immediately after bird flying lessons, Hyojong managed to sneak away before he had to join the class for squirrel grazing. He did enjoy feeding squirrels, riding them, and just hanging out with them, but he had much better activities to attend to at this current moment. His favorite activity in the morning, watch the human boy wake up.

 

Hyojong snuck down to the cherry pit room first, it was in the dead center of the tree. The guards weren’t as alert during the morning, and he used this fact in his favor. He pulled a stinkbug out of his rucksack he was carrying, and threw it towards the guards feet, then swiftly hid in an open room as they ran to chase after the invader. As the guards were distracted trying to get the stink bug out of the tree without stinking up that entire floor for everyone, Hyojong slipped in and out of the room, his bag now full from him picking the fattest cherry he could find.

 

Hyojong made his escape from the tree from one of the windows towards the top of the tree, climbing out onto one of the branches. He ran down the length of the branch, ready to take flight.

 

Hyojong expanded his wings, sighing contently as they stretched out, each large wing being the size of his body. The wings were a sheer pastel holographic mix of pinks, icy blues, and the occasional streaks of green. They were the shape of an axe blade, and had ripples in it like water makes when a pebble is dropped in it. 

 

Hyojong took a running leap and was soon in the air, letting his wings glide him towards Hui’s open window. His feet set him down on the nightstand beside Hui’s bed. Hyojong fluttered his wings to gently place himself onto Hui’s pillow, and he stared closely at the human’s face.

 

Hyojong’s face cocked in curiosity, and his eyes began to scan the face of Hui, looking at his eyelids, his prominent nose, and well defined lips. Hyojong reached forward, his hand resting on Hui’s nose, and he giggled to himself as he compared their noses in his mind.

 

Hui’s nose crinkled from feeling a slight tickle, which startled Hyojong, making him jump back up to the bedside table after quickly leaving him a cherry. He tucked his wings behind himself, then hid behind the alarm clock, the same place he always went, and waited for the human to wake.

 

Hyojong covered his ears just as the alarm clock sounded off at 6:30 am on the dot. 

Hyojong peaked to see the human stir, then ducked down again as a large hand swung toward his direction, landing on the button to stop the blaring of the alarm.

 

Hyojong watched Hui slowly sit up, his bed hair sticking up in various directions before he ruffled it back into place. The fairy couldn’t help but chuckle, enjoying the human struggling to get out of bed, just like how he was struggling this morning. 

 

_ We’re very similar. _ Hyojong couldn’t help but think.

 

The first thing Hui saw once he decided to actually open his eyes was the cherry he checked for every morning. “Wah, another one!” Hui exclaimed, picking it up and getting out of bed to put it in the chest he always placed them in.

 

Hyojong huffed, wishing that Hui would just eat them instead of trying to hoard them. “Stupid humans, can’t even use them as lab rats, useless things,” Hyojong grumbled. 

 

When he saw Hui going towards the bathroom, Hyojong then took flight alongside Hui, making sure to stay in a blindspot behind him. Their wings didn’t make noise, but of course the human could see him if they were to make eye contact.

 

Hyojong never watched him use the bathroom, because he felt too much like a creep doing so, so while Hui relieved himself, he checked inside the chest, saw there was four in there now, and placed the cherry back into his bag. Hyojong knew he didn’t need to leave him anymore cherries beside the one, but he felt that if the human wanted to save multiple cherries, he could at least leave him three. At this point, he stole cherries just because he knew he could get away with it. Even if he just ended up taking one back.

  
  


Hyojong slipped under the bathroom door and closely observed Hui brush his teeth, wash his face, and get dressed. Other fairies aren’t interested in the lives of humans as long as they aren’t posing a risk to the fairy world.  However to him, the mundane tasks of a human, particularly this human, was extraordinarily fascinating. 

 

Hyojong continued to follow Hui around until he saw him get on the bus to head to school. Hyojong knew if he stayed too long, elders would notice his absence, so he just observed Hui for the hour and a half it took him to get ready for school, then returned home. 

 

On this particular day though, when Hyojong was flying back, he ran directly into Kino. 

 

“There you are! I knew this had to be your doing, you’re lucky I don’t like being a tattle tail!” Kino chided, pulling him as they flew to the top of the branches to speak comfortably.

 

“What what what, what exactly was my doing?” Hyojong asked with a sigh.

 

“A stink bug exploded on the cherry floor, they had to evacuate like 4 floors! I know it was you, because stink bugs don’t just sneak their way in.”

 

Hyojong chortled, holding his side as he wheezed. 

 

“Hyung! This isn’t funny, the queen will be really upset if she knew you did this! The guards got scolded because of you, that’s not fair, you should be more careful!” Kino slapped Hyojong on the arm, his cheeks puffing up the more he whined.

 

Hyojong rubbed the place Kino hit him, grumbling an apology. “I’ll make them that potion that adults like!” Hyojong decided, hitting the side of his fist on his open palm. 

 

“Hyojong, please don’t tell me you plan on making them alcohol…” Kino said in disbelief, his mind swirling with how that could go  _ absolutely _ wrong very fast.

 

“Last time I made it, they didn’t get me in trouble for a solid week! Sounds good enough for me, egghead!” Hyojong shrugged, and flew down the side of tree, which left a flustered Kino to just silently follow after him.

 

* _ End of Flashback _ *

 

“Hyojong, you’re an adult now, why must I still make Kino come get you every single morning? Would it be too much to ask you to make it down for breakfast by yourself just once a week?” The elder requested. 

 

Hyojong hummed, swirling his spoon around in the porridge in front of him in a wooden bowl. “Elder Kwon, do the chefs know how to make anything else besides porridge?” Hyojong met eyes with the elder, and couldn’t help but giggle at the angry frustrated face he made.

 

Elder Kwon’s eyes narrowed, and he set his spoon down, folding his hands in his lap. “I beg you to answer a question seriously Hyojong, just once in your life. You’re destined to be one of the few males allowed on the royal guard to protect the queen, and yet you do nothing but disrespect us. And for the record, the chefs have a great menu, you just only happen to show up on porridge days. I think you could count on one hand how many times you’ve eaten breakfast with us, can you not?” Hyojong sighed, swirling the porridge around more. “I don’t understand why me of all people were chosen to guard the queen. The queen usually only wants girls to be on her royal guard, and the chosen girls train with the queen since birth. Yet I wasn’t told about having to guard her until I was like twenty?”

 

“Queen Hyuna has requested specifically for you.” Elder Kwon explained, “After you were caught selling intoxicating potions to the lower ranking guards for years under our noses, undetected. She claims that someone being able to trick and deceive that many guards, should be kept on her side. She also said, you were interesting, and amusing.”

 

“Hyung, you should be grateful that Queen Hyuna didn’t exile you when she found out, why not use this opportunity to take the royal guard test and join her? I plan to take it soon myself. She told Elder Kwon that because I never told on you for all your poor deeds, that I am extremely loyal, and again belong on her side. Us being the only men on the royal guard, imagine how much we could brag during the kingdom reunions!” Kino gushed, not minding Hyojong’s annoyed groan when he jumped into their conversation. 

 

Kino was always like this, always keeping close to him and observing him. If Hyojong was being honest, he hated Kino for a few years for his bright and bubbly personality, but despite their polar opposite personalities, Kino never once lied to Hyojong, and he never betrayed him. He couldn’t help but grow fond of the cheerful fairy with the joyful spirit. 

 

Kino and Hyojong were a good balance, and perhaps Queen Hyuna knew that. Kino was extremely hard working, punctual, and to put it simply, a sweetheart. He knew when he needed to snap at Hyojong to snap him out of his ‘not a care in the world attitude’ and he knew when he needed to just cover up some mischievous prank that Hyojong pulled. Kino was a drop less overbearing now that he started dating that fairy on the official bird flyer team. 

 

“Hello my little honeydrop~”

 

_ Speak of the devil. _

 

“Hello my strong dependable honeycomb!” Kino practically squealed, clinging to Shinwon the instant he sat down beside him. Shinwon chuckled fondly, placing a hand on his knee as he ate.

 

“God, you two are unbearable, do you know that?” Hyojong scoffed, digging into his on food. 

 

“You shouldn’t be bitter just because you scare all the other fairies away,” Kino huffed, “My Shinwon only does cute nicknames because he knows I’m a big softy, it’s called being nice, you should try it.”

 

“I don’t want any of the fairies here, and for the record, I am very nice to you! I used to call you egghead, and I stopped doing that when I was like thirteen or something. You’re welcome!” Hyojong defended himself, pointing his spoon at Kino as if it was a threat. 

 

“Hyojong.”

 

Hyojong looked back towards the elder, honestly forgetting he was even talking to him to begin with. “Yes?”

 

“Please consider taking the royal guard exam, and please consider eating with us more often, yes? I do enjoy your company, the few times I’ve been able to get ahold of you.”

 

Hyojong lowered his head to hide a bashful flush that was on his cheeks. Elder Kwon was always nice to him, but his compliments consistently made him shy, no matter how many times he’s heard them. 

 

“Fine. Fine to both things.” Hyojong mumbled.

“Hey Hyojong, who were you talking to in your room?” Kino mentioned again, “You didn’t steal a human phone or something did you? I told you not to steal-”

 

“Shit,” Hyojong whispered, standing up suddenly once he realized Hui was still waiting for him to return with food. “I didn’t steal a phone, I was just...reciting poetry. I’ll talk to you later, bye!”

 

“Since when do you write poetry-”

 

Kino couldn’t even finish his sentence before Hyojong was sprinting off towards his room with a tray full of food. Elder Kwon just assumed he was hungry, and didn’t bother stopping him.

 

“Hui I’m so sorry- what are you doing?” Hyojong entered the room, only to find Hui trying on some of Hyojong’s clothes, currently wearing a lilac version of what Hyojong was wearing.

 

“Well I-I only had a bathrobe and you had extra clothes, plus if someone were to walk in and see me they could just assume I was a fairy,” Hui quickly explained, his face red. “Why do you only have girl colors?” Hui added defensively.

 

“What are girl colors?”

 

“Like pastels pinks, purples, blues-”

 

“That thinking sounds like human nonsense, no one cares about things like that in the fairy world,” Hyojong laughed, shutting his door, and setting the tray of food on the bed. “I brought you food, I got a bit side tracked, sorry about that.” 

 

Hui just sat down and started to eat, mainly eating the rolls as he thought they were absolutely amazing. They were golden brown on top and had a sheen from a light wash of butter. When each bite gave a small crunch sound, yet turned gentle once he hit the soft fluffy insides. “God, these are amazing!” Hui said with a mouth full of food.

 

“You’re so cute,” Hyojong snickered, going to take a roll for himself but Hui smacked his hand away. “Hey!”

 

“Hey what? It’s my food isn’t it? I’m really hungry!”

  
  


“Tisk, humans are so greedy.” Hyojong fussed, taking his bowl of porridge instead. 

 

“So was that one guy who called for you your boyfriend or something?” Hui asked.

 

Hyojong choked on his porridge, making droplets fly and land onto the tray. “I’m sorry my what?! No, god no, that’s my brother! Jesus, as if I would kiss you and say I like you if I had a boyfriend!”

 

“Brother? But I saw a glimpse of him, and he looked nothing like you?”

 

“Fairies reproduce differently than humans, you guys fuck, we just bloom,” Hyojong said simply, making Hui choke this time.

 

“Bloom.” Hui caught his breath and swallowed his food before speaking again, “What exactly is the difference between blooming and...having sex?”

 

Hyojong couldn’t believe he was going to have the sex talk with a human. Hyojong found out how humans mated just by watching porn that Hui pulled up on his computer, but now he has to explain how completely different it was for fairies.

 

“When two fairies love eachother very much-”

 

“Hyojong! Stop teasing me, I really wanna know!” Hui said, shoving his shoulder.

 

Hyojong stuck his tongue out, rubbing his shoulder. Hui shoved him hard with a lot more strength than he thought the human had, so it shocked him.

 

“Okay. Seriously. During mating season in the winter, whoever the fairy wants to mate with, they go up to the very top of the tree and if they are with their soulmate, the flowers around them will start to glow and shine. When they reach the right flower, it turns pure white. They both touch it, it warms up, and closes back into a bud. After a few a few months, the flower blooms in the spring and boom, tiny fairy babies! Fairy babies are made from the mixture of two fairies internal lights connecting to form a new life. That’s why me and Kino can look so different, it’s not a genetics type of thing, we just come from the same two lights. Get it?”

 

“That’s...beautiful actually. Wow. So fairies don’t have physical sex like humans?”

 

“Oh no no no, we fuck like rabbits. We don’t get pregnant, so people fuck as much as they want without a care in the world. Isn’t that great?” Hyojong laughed, “Much more practical than humans who have to carry a baby for nine months, our babies blossom after only three months, and they grow a lot faster than humans.”

 

“You’re a very crude person, do you know that, do you not have any shame? I don’t need to know your sex life you know,” Hui scoffed.

 

“I’ve never had human sex though? I’m just saying that other fairies my age fuck a lot because they can. To humans, I’d be considered a virgin, would I not?”

 

Hui felt his ears turning a shade of rosy red, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. “You’ve really never...had sex before?”

 

Hyojong laid down, his hands folded on the back of his neck. “I was waiting,” Hyojong said simply.

 

“For?”

 

“You, my soulmate.”

 

Hui started up a coughing fit again, and the blush spread across his face.

 

“You’re what, twenty-five? Don’t tell me you’re a virgin too, that would really make things difficult for us you know-”

 

“I’m not a virgin!” Hui snapped, his eyes shooting daggers at Hyojong’s relaxed face.

 

“Who was it with?”

 

“Does that really matter-”

 

“Soulmates tell eachother everything you know, that’s how things work.”

 

“Why do you insist I’m your soulmate....Whatever, it was just with some guy during my sophomore year of college. We only dated for a few months, it didn’t last,” Hui finally confessed, “He was really,  _ really _ boring.”

 

Hyojong propped himself up onto his side, resting his head on one his hands. “I’m quite interesting aren’t I? See, soulmates.”

 

Hui was in awe from not only meeting someone like Hyojong, not only from his actions, his words, or his flirtatious behaviors, but in awe at how even though he hasn’t known him for even 24 hours, he’s starting to believe the fairies words that they are in fact soulmates. “You really are something else, Hyojong.”

 

Hyojong gave him a cat-like grin, moving closer until his head rested in Hui’s lap. Hyojong was always brushing off others, and putting on some type of cold persona, but he was really a loving person. Him and Kino did come from the same two lights, it makes sense if Kino is so bright. Though he’s never met someone like Hui, where it makes him show his loving side so strongly and shamelessly. He knew for a fact that they were soulmates. “You really are something else, Hui.”

 

“Hyung, seriously who are you talking to-” Kino spontaneously rushed into the room, finding Hyojong contently laying his head in some random person’s lap. “Who is this?”

 

Hyojong sat up quickly, as if he was a child getting caught making out for the first time. “Kino, why don’t you just knock, jesus christ!” Hyojong said in exasperation.

 

Kino walked over, getting a closer look at the human, his head cocked to the side. “Wait...Hyojong...is this not Hui? That human you’re obsessed with?!” 

 

Hyojong jumped up and covered Kino’s mouth, shushing him urgently. “Shhh! Do you want everyone in the fucking tree to hear you? I would get in so much trouble if they knew I’m hiding a human!”

 

Kino was trying to speak but it came out muffled until Hyojong freed him. “Sorry, no yelling. But how the hell did you pull this off? How long has he been here? Did he really eat a cherry?”

 

“He’s only been here since last night, and yes he ate a cherry, finally.”

 

“Hey guys, I know I should be panicking, but quick question. How do I stop being fairy-sized?”

 

Hui looked at Hyojong, Hyojong looked at Kino, Kino looked at- shit. “Uhm...I don’t know?” Kino replied, lifting his shoulders cluelessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like the flashback? I wasn't sure if ppl would like flashbacks in the story, so please comment if you did! Also wasn't sure if people would like going a bit deeper into the fairy universe, again please comment opinions! Please drop a kudos if you're looking forward to the next chapter! I don't know if it'll be up tomorrow but it shouldn't take longer than two days for me to update currently!


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